


Heir, Apparently - BrickBBB from Noctis’ Perspective

by greenblanketbythefire



Series: Your Adventures In The Final Fantasy Universe [4]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Asperger’s syndrome, Autism, F/M, Noctis is Autistic, Other, Platonic Relationships, Platonic Soulmates, Protective Siblings, Reader-Insert, Self-Indulgent, Self-Insert, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love, Siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-07-08 05:54:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19864588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenblanketbythefire/pseuds/greenblanketbythefire
Summary: Noctis’ journey with his friends is interrupted by someone falling for him - literally.A companion work to Brick By Boring Brick - I’d recommend checking that out first if you’re interested.





	1. Dad Gives Me Vague Instructions, As Usual

**Author's Note:**

> Here we are! I’m finally working on this! Yay!!!

“Drautos! He’s in your hands.”

The prince turned to join his friends.

“And another thing,” Regis Lucis Caelum called out. “Do mind your manners around your charming bride to be.”

Noctis climbed back up the few stairs and gave a dramatic bow.

“Your Majesty, as well,” he said teasingly. “Try to mind yours around our _esteemed guests_ from Niflheim.”

“You have no cause for concern,” King Regis said.

“Nor do you.”

“Take heed. Once you set forth, you _cannot_ turn back.”

“You think I would?”

“...I need only know that you are ready to leave home behind.”

“Don’t know about you, but I’m ready as I’ll ever be.”

Noctis made to descend the stairs.

“Take care on the long road,” Regis furthered, hesitant to let his son go knowing what would happen once he was gone. “And if you should find someone in need along the way, do stop to help them.”

“Alright,” Noctis agreed casually. “Like I _wouldn’t.”_

“She may be in over her head.”

_She?_

“Wheresoever you should go,” Regis said, stepping forward with his cane, “the line of Lucis goes with you.”

He faced his son for the last time, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Walk tall, my son.”

_A dusty mist clouded Noctis’ vision. A fog like no other hid the landscape around him. The world was in monochrome, shades of silver. All he could see were the thick clouds and the faded gray grass beneath him. Hesitantly, he stepped forward. The mist moved with him. How odd…_

_Noctis crept silently through the grass. Soon sidewalk was revealed to him, the same shade as the grass, lighter than the fog. Then a front porch was uncovered, followed by a two-story house with a darker roof. Wind kicked up and blew the mist over the house._

_For a second, everything went black. Then Noctis’ vision returned, still gray. He was standing in someone’s room. Posters lined the walls. Clothes were piled everywhere. A desk lied to the right. Along the far wall, a bed had been nestled in the corner. Before he could investigate the long lump under the covers, something caught his eye._

_He watched a black and white tuxedo cat pad into the room from behind him. It sat at the edge of the bed for a moment. Then it jumped and landed on the bed. Noctis moved toward it. He watched as the cat kneaded at the comforter before settling down to sleep cutely._

_A girl was in the bed. She was fast asleep, like the cat soon would be. Noctis’ eyes narrowed. Why was he here, in someone’s bedroom? This was a violation of privacy._

_A sudden tug began in his chest. A thin line of pale blue spiraled out from his heart…_

_...and connected to hers. The tugging increased. Noctis didn’t like the feeling. When he tried to grip the mystic line, his hands went right through it._

_“What…?” he whispered. “Stop that- Hey-!”_

_The line gave a sharp yank, pulling him forward. Noctis nearly lost his footing. Right as he reached out to the bed for support, everything went white._

_“She waits for you, O King of the Stone,” a familiar voice echoed through his head. “Grant her the will to continue. She will need it.”_

_Another, more demonic voice interrupted the first._

_“May the Chosen find this gift to be worth his while,” it said. “Her power is unparalleled. Use it as you must.”_

_Noctis’ vision faded to black as he woke._

Noctis had never really been one for mornings. That was no secret to anyone, certainly not to Ignis. So once he had finally forced himself up from his sleeping bag and dragged himself outside the tent, he had been expecting breakfast waiting, or at least being cooked. And, of course, that particular day was no exception.

The warm morning air was a nice change from the sweltering heat of the day before. The sun was shining brightly, gleaming on every smooth surface. Noctis wiped the sleep from his eyes and let them adjust.

“Nice of you to join us,” Ignis quipped from the camping stove they had set up that night. He have Noct a small smile. Prompto and Gladiolus were sitting around the now-long-dead fire.

“Mornin’, Noct!” the bubbly blonde greeted.

“Almost thought you were gonna sleep the day away,” said the Shield.

“I could, but then who’d keep your asses in line?” Noct threw back.

“Breakfast is served,” Ignis interrupted, as if to say “Me. _I_ would keep their asses in line.”

The other three soon swarmed the poor man. No one ever had first dibs on breakfast. It was every man for himself and Ignis would take what was left. As soon as four plates were full and four chairs were occupied, the day had commenced. Sausages were scarfed down, eggs were devoured. Bacon was abundant and would not run out any time soon.

Noctis scrambled to remember his dreams. For some reason, one of them seemed important. He just couldn’t recall _what_ it had been. Something about a cat and… Wait, _was_ there a cat? And a girl… No, wait, that didn’t sound right. All he could decide on was the color gray.

 _Whatever,_ he thought. _If I can’t remember it, it probably wasn’t that important anyway._

Oddly enough, as he finished his own thoughts, his father’s words sprung to attention.

_“She may be in over her head.”_

_Who is ‘she?’ Are we supposed to be meeting up with someone first?_

As the three finished up and were ready to leave and finish up the hunt they had taken on, there was a loud _B O O M_ that sounded like a sonic boom and a clap of thunder had just shaken hands. Not too far away, up in the sky, what looked like an actual sonic boom (but was later to be revealed not as such) lit up the blue sky with white like a cloud. It was so high up that the four boys did not immediately see what was now falling from the odd formation.

“What is that?” Prompto spoke what they were all thinking.

“Looks like a shadow,” Noctis observed.

“A falling shadow?” Gladio questioned.

“I daresay it’s a _person,”_ Ignis declared, clearly confounded.

“A person?!”

“What do we do?!”

As the dark figure continued to fall from much too great a height, it became more recognizable as at least a person-sized thing at least. Not too much could be determined from so far away.

“The hell do we do?” Gladio roared. As panic set in, Noct began frantically looking around for something to help. His eyes finally settled.

“The tent!” he shouted. “If that’s a person, there’s no way they’re not going to survive a fall that big.”

Without much care for their things, the tent was uprooted from its cozy spot on the Oracle Runes and rushed out into the wilderness. Noctis was warping far ahead to get an estimate of where exactly the thing - or person - was going to inevitably land. There wasn’t much of a shadow on the ground just yet but luckily the occurrence hadn’t happened far from their campsite.

“Over here!”

The four took formation, each holding a different side of the tent. With their practiced teamwork, they followed the strange form until it came closer.

“By the gods, that really is a person,” Ignis breathed.

“What if they go straight through the tent?” Prompto panicked.

“Not gonna happen,” Gladio growled determinedly.

“Focus,” Noctis directed.

The person’s shadow grew ever larger. The four boys followed it until it settled in one place. Then, they waited.

And waited.

And wai-

“Woah!” Gladio called as the person hit the tent. Everyone struggled to hold on as it became a makeshift trampoline for a moment. The unknown skydiver squeaked as they realized what had happened.

“Careful now,” Ignis said. The tent slowly steadied as the skydiver’s bouncing came to a halt. Once it had been determined that they were okay, the boys lowered them to the ground.

“Is…” Prompto swallowed. “Is she okay?”

_She? Wait._

“Hey,” Noctis said, nudging the person who was still lying on the tent with his foot. “You alright?”

They all stepped forward to see who it was. It was indeed a girl. Her (color) eyes peered shyly up at them. They were wide, terrified. She looked at Ignis, then Prompto, then Noctis, and then Gladio. She propped herself up, arms shaking almost violently from shock. They failed and she collapsed.

“Here,” Gladio said, holding a hand out to her. When he realized she couldn’t move very well, he helped her to stand up properly. “You okay? That was some fall.”

“I-I…” she stuttered, frightened.

Poor thing could hardly speak. Noctis watched as she processed what had just happened. Her eyes began shining with tears.

“I… I don’t… I…”

“Give her a moment, Gladio,” Ignis said. The girl’s hand came up to stop the tears from falling. Everyone waited patiently as she found her voice.

“What… What happened…?”

“We were kinda hoping you’d tell us that yourself,” Noctis said. Where the hell had she come from? Sure, Niflheim was on the verge of completely taking over, but there hadn’t been an airship in sight. She had just… appeared out of nowhere.

“I-I don’t… I don’t k-know. One moment I was asleep, dreaming, and then I- I woke- I w-w-wo… I w-woke up and I was f-falling…”

She looked up at the sky, just as confused as Noctis and his friends were.

“Th-thanks for catching me…”

“No problem,” Noct said. “But uh, next time you decide to go skydiving, maybe try it somewhere less… dangerous?”

“Y-yeah… Sounds good…”

“Perhaps we should help her to camp,” Ignis suggested.

“Right,” Gladio answered. “Can ya walk?”

“Um…” the girl hummed quietly. She took a shaky step forward - and promptly collapsed. “...No.”

She was suddenly yanked up. Gladio moved to carry her and led the others back to the Oracle Runes. The girl squeaked again and began squirming, trying to get comfortable.

“Stop moving,” Gladio grunted.

“Sorry,” she whispered. Once they reached the top of the mound, she was promptly deposited in one of the foldable camping chairs. The foursome moved around so she could see them all.

“Thanks…” The girl trailed, not knowing who to look at. She looked down at the campfire. It was just charred wood at this point.

“So you don’t know how you got here,” stated Gladio. She shook her head and looked back up at each of them.

“Do you have a name?” Prompto asked.

“Um, ______,” she answered quietly. Noctis had never heard a name like it.

“Where are you from?” he asked. “Anywhere around here?”

An odd tugging had started in his chest. He did his best to ignore it, but it was relentless so long as his gaze was on her. But that wasn’t all. Due to the look on her face, she felt it too.

“Uh… Where am I?” _______ asked in return.

“Near Hammerhead,” Ignis answered.

“And… where’s that?”

“Leide.”

“And… where is that?”

The four boys exchanged glances and looked back to _______.

“Lucis,” Noctis told her.

“And… where is that?” she asked for the millionth time, sounding utterly lost.

“You don’t… You’re not from Lucis?”

“Lucis?”

“What about Niflheim?” Gladio interrogated. “You from Niflheim?”

“Niflheim…? You know that’s not a- Wait, what?”

She looked at them all, extremely confused. Noctis couldn’t imagine why. These were normal places, most of them very much heard of. Had she been living under a rock? A rock in the _sky?_

“If you’re not from Lucis or Niflheim, then are you from Altissia?” Prompto asked curiously.

“From where?” she asked still. Noct’s heart jumped at the thought of a possibility.

“Or Tenebrae?” he asked.

“Darkness??? I’m not from darkness, that sounds ominous…”

“Then where the hell are you from?”

“I’m from America.”

They didn’t look convinced.

“Y-you know, the United States? On North America? B-Bordered by Canada… and Mexico…?”

The what? On _what?_ Bordered by _who?_

“Yeah… Never heard of any of those places.” Gladio stared at ______ like she was on trial for treason.

“So you’re from Nowhere,” Noctis deadpanned. _______ slumped in her seat.

“Might as well be…” she muttered. “I’ve never heard of… Lucis? Light? O-or… What’s an ‘Altissia’?”

“Not Niflheim?”

“I’m not from a mythological realm, no.”

“A what?” Prompto looked more confused than ever.

“Niflheim? One of the nine realms from Norse mythology?”

Noctis exchanged a glance with Ignis. That wasn’t part of any mythology _they’d_ ever heard of.

“Is there an Asgard? Midgard? Jotunheim?”

“Uh, no,” Noctis said awkwardly. He looked to Ignis for help.

“Well, wherever it is you are from,” Iggy said, taking his cue, “we shall do our best to assist you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I’ve decided this won’t be full replay of BrickBBB. Instead I’ll just pick certain scenes to rewrite from Noctis’ point of view. Hope you enjoy!


	2. My New Acquaintance Is From Another World, Apparently

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mystery that is ______ gets more confusing.

______ picked up their names rather well. She kept glancing at them, as if solidifying their faces to the corresponding names. Meanwhile, Ignis fixed her a plate of whatever remained from breakfast. Gladio still didn’t seem convinced of her innocence and stood watching her like a hawk. Prompto and Noctis had sat down some minutes ago, still trying to figure this out.

“Y-you guys wouldn’t have happened to have seen a pair of glasses when I fell, did you?” ______ spouted suddenly.

“Uh, I didn’t see anything, did you?” Prompto asked Noctis. The latter shook his head.

“Did you, Specs?” Gladio inquired.

“I’m afraid not,” Ignis replied. “Do you know when they came off?”

“While I was falling…” ______ disclosed.

“I’ll go take a look,” Gladio offered, already walking towards the ledge leading to level ground.

“Oh, that’s okay!” ______ quickly cut in. “You don’t have to - I’ll just… go look when I’m - when I can walk again.”

“And how exactly are you going to see?”

“Uh, well… I mean, I can see, everything’s just really fuzzy…”

“Yeah, thought so.”

He went off anyway. ________ slumped in her chair. Noctis watched her as her downcast expression turned to one of a quiet revelation.

“My phone…” she whispered to herself. She pulled out a very familiar device and tapped the screen. It lit up.

_No way… If she just fell from the sky with knowledge of places we’ve never been or heard of… then how **the hell** does she have a **phone?**_

“Hey, you’ve got a phone?” Prompto lit up as well. “Maybe we’re not so different after all!”

“Uh, yeah…” ______ said distractedly. She gazed down at the device for a moment before her hand dropped to her lap. “So much for that…”

She slipped it back into her pocket.

“So do you remember anything from before you fell?” Ignis asked. “Any strange dreams or visions?”

“Um…”

She struggled to remember. At the same time, Noctis had an epiphany. Her face. Her face, it looked like the one he had seen in his dream. Wait, his dream? Yes! That was it! He remembered - but… why would he have dreamt about _her?_

“I was flying over the ocean,” ______ relayed. Her eyes were trained on the ground as she recalled whatever vision she’d had. “And then… I descended to get a closer look at the islands. There was a place with a beach. Beyond that there was an island… But I can’t… That’s all I remember, sorry…”

“A beach?” Prompto voiced. “You mean like Galdin Quay?”

“Galdin what?”

“Galdin Quay! It’s a beach resort. We were heading there, actually.”

“That island could be near there,” Noctis suggested. “It's a good place as any to start.”

“Wait, you mean you’ll- you’ll… help me?” ______ asked, bewildered. She looked touched. Noctis replayed the memory of his last interaction with his father.

_“She may be in over her head.”_

_Did he **know** this would happen?_

“Well, yeah, I mean…,” Noctis said. “We found you and you don’t know where you are; ‘s’not like we could just leave you here.”

“Well, I mean, you could but… That’s awfully kind of you… You don’t have to, I’m sure I could… um… well, I’m sure I could figure it out.”

What? Would she really just subject herself to that? Just so she didn’t inconvenience them?

“But you don’t even know what country you’re in,” Prompto put in.

_Yeah, exactly. Don’t turn us down just ‘cause you’re too nice._

“I just… I don’t…” She swallowed. “Y-you must be busy. I’d just… Won’t I get in the way?”

_Get in the way? Prom just said we were heading there anyway. How insecure you gotta be?_

She shrunk into herself at their surprised expressions, pulling her jacket more tightly around her. Noctis could see nervousness creeping into her eyes. He almost felt bad about his accusatory thoughts. Clearly she had some anxiety issues.

“Like Prompto said, we were heading to Galdin anyway,” Ignis reiterated. “Since it sounds like you were there in your dream, it makes sense to bring you along with us.”

Tears returned to her eyes. “That’s… so nice of you…”

_Nice? Wouldn’t anyone do that? I mean, she just literally **fell** here. Who_ wouldn’t _try to help her?_

“I should have asked - do you have any food allergies?” Ignis asked. She looked up at him. He was holding a plate with food on it.

“Uh… Well…” She hesitated. “It’s kind of embarrassing but… I’m allergic to apples.”

“Apples?” Noctis and Prompto synced. Her cheeks were dusted red and she nodded.

“My teeth get all tingly and my lips swell up. It’s not fun. I really miss eating apples.”

“Noted,” Ignis stated. He handed her the plate. An assortment of basic breakfast foods had been neatly arranged onto it. Bacon, eggs, sausage, and a little bit of fruit. Ignis picked away a few apple slices. “Anything else we should know?”

“Wow, thanks,” ______ breathed, taking the plate. Her next words were spoken smally. “Um… I… I hate to be a bother but… it’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I’m a picky eater…”

“You’re not the only one.” Ignis gave Noctis a disapproving glance.

“B-but I… I have a reason… But… I mean… Well… Do you… Do you guys know what Asperger’s Syndrome is?”

“Asperger’s Syndrome?” Prompto echoed. Noctis recognized it. Memes about it had gone around the Internet for a while after some idiotic parents got the ludicrous idea that vaccines cause it. He also recalled a point in time where his father had suspected that perhaps Noctis had it.

“Ah, yes, it’s a mild form of autism, is it not?” Ignis speculated. _______ sighed with relief.

“Yeah, ‘mild,’” she repeated with air quotes. “To you, at least. Good to know that exists… wherever I am.”

“Wait, autism, like- like the mental illness?” Prompto questioned.

“Disorder. It’s a mental disorder, not an illness.” Her harsh tone did not match the immediate remorse she displayed for snapping. “Contrary to popular belief, there is not a ‘cure’ and certainly no epidemic.”

“Oh. Okay. Good to know, I guess.”

“Sorry, I feel kinda strongly about that.”

“No, it’s fine! The more you know.”

She gave them a half smile and began to pick at her food. After the first bite, she seemed to realize how hungry she was and ate a little more quickly. Gladio came back not long after she finished.

“These yours?” He held up a pair of glasses. _______ smiled widely and nodded.

“Thank you so much!”

“No problem. They’re a bit dirty, though.”

“When are they not?”

Ignis give a short huff of laughter. She used her shirt to scrub the dirt and dust off. Once it was acceptable, she slipped them on.

“That’s much better.”

“So, how’re your legs?” Gladio asked. “Think you can walk now?”

Her eyebrows furrowed. She moved to put pressure on one foot. She stood shakily. The uncomfortable tugging in his chest began again. Noctis readied himself to help her as she wobbled. She put one foot in front of the other… and couldn’t hide a relieved smile. She was fine.

“I think I’m good,” she said slowly.

“Good,” Gladio said. “We takin’ her with us?”

“Yep,” said Noctis. “She had a dream about Galdin before she fell. Might as well let her tag along.”

“Galdin, huh? You know Galdin but not the rest of Lucis?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Ignis said. “None of our familiar locations seem to ring a bell.”

“You don’t think Cindy or Cid would know anything about this, do you?” Prompto asked with hope in his voice. ______ looked confused again.

“That’s not a bad place to start. Perhaps there’s a local legend of people falling from the sky.”

“Still gotta finish that hunt for Dave, first,” Noctis cut in. “Can’t walk into town empty handed.”

______ watched the conversation pan out with curiosity.

“What happened to him again?” Prompto asked.

“Got hurt trying to kill something,” Noct explained. “So we’re gonna kill it for him.”

“Hey,” Gladio said, getting _____ 's attention. “Can you fight?”

“Can I what?” She blurted out. The question alarmed her greatly. “Um, no.”

“Should we leave her here and come back?”

“Nah, she can just hang back,” Noctis told him. He looked at ______ . “That okay with you?”

She nodded, utterly lost once more.

They began the trek through the short grass. Noctis followed the place Dave had marked on his map. It wasn’t far, but the walk would give them time to get to know _______. Noct, himself, wanted to know more about where she was from. He turned to see her walking behind them, on their heels. She looked uneasy, like someone had handed her a survey on moral principles and she didn’t know how to answer every question.

Then she pinched herself. Noctis wondered what the hell she was doing. Did she think she was asleep? She slapped her arm. Her eyes widened as she realized she not sleeping. Noctis didn’t like the terrified look on her face.

“Hey,” Noct got her attention. “You got dualhorns where you’re from?”

“Uhh… I don’t think so,” _______ answered, now curious. “What’s that?”

“Big gray brute,” Gladio said. “Two horns, taller than me. Don’t let it see you. Can’t have you getting hurt.”

Her head tilted slightly as she processed that. This new information intrigued her.

“S-So, um, how far is it?” she asked.

“A few minutes at least,” Noctis answered. “Why?”

“I was just wondering- if- if I could ask you some things.”

“Sure!” Prompto chirped. “Go for it.”

“Alright, so… We’re in a place called Lucis. And there’s also a place called Niflheim and… Tenebrae? Are they all the same place, like, the same country, or…?”

_How does she not know this? There’s no way she’s from a different world than ours… right?_

“We’re in Lucis right now,” Ignis explained. “It is a kingdom plagued by darkness, as is the rest of the world. Niflheim is an empire to the north. They are bent on conquering every land they can get their hands on. Tenebrae is one of their territories. It was taken twelve years ago, and Accordo, where the city of Altissia lies, has been under their rule for much longer.”

“Oh, okay. So… you’re at war with Niflheim? Is that why you were so suspicious?”

“Our apologies, but yes. Can’t be too careful.”

“It’s okay. I understand now. And… is this ‘Galdin Quay’ in Lucis?”

Anger boiled up in Noctis’ blood.

“Won’t be for much longer,” he said bitterly. _______ gave Ignis a questioning glance. The man sighed, pushing his glasses up.

“Recently, a peace treaty was proposed by none other than the Chancellor himself.” Even Ignis sounded frustrated. “From what I heard, he waltzed right in as if he owned the place.”

“Demanded Lucis give up all territories save the Crown City,” Gladio said. “And His Majesty has us going to Altissia so this guy,” he jabbed his thumb in Noctis’ direction, “can get married to Lady Lunafreya to officiate it.”

_______ 's eyes were trained on Noctis. She looked like she was trying to interpret a wild piece of modern art.

“To answer the look on your face, yes, Noct _is_ the next in line to the throne,” Ignis said. Noctis felt uncomfortable. He didn’t like too much attention.

“That’s… a lot to take in,” She managed. She also looked uncomfortable. “And… you’re _sure_ I’m not getting in the way?”

“How many times we gotta tell ya?” Noctis sounded exasperated. “It’s no hold up to us. Certainly not to you.”

She sunk into her jacket protectively. Noctis didn’t understand why she couldn’t couldn’t comprehend that. Did she really think they’d abandon her without any way to figure out what was going on? She had fallen _from the fucking **sky.**_

“And don’t think just ‘cause I’m a prince means you have to act any differently. Prompto’s never treated me like one, so neither should you.”

For some reason that made her smile. It set Noct’s mind at ease for .5 seconds. As she made to tell them something, a loud roar cut the tracks of my train of thought. They had come to clearing with an opening in the raised land before them.

In the middle of the open inlet was what looked like a rhino. The only differences were the horn, which split into two, and some odd black vapor rising from its head. ______ shrunk back. Gladio summoned his greatsword.

_______ looked at each of them. Noctis held a one-handed sword, Gladio’s was a huge two-handed rectangular sword that looked to be longer than his body, Ignis was gripping twin daggers, and Prompto had a gun. She was even more confused than before now.

Noctis was ready to charge into battle, but Gladiolus grabbed his shoulder, holding him back.

“Wait a sec,” he said somewhat casually for facing such an enormous creature.

“What?” Prompto teased. “Scared, big guy?”

“You oughta be, too. Thing’s vicious.”

“Looks tame to me.”

“Yeah,” Noctis agreed.

“What’s wrong with its head?” _______ asked quietly, more to herself than anyone else. Noctis noticed the black mist wafting from its head. Was it turning into a daemon?

_______ was suddenly pushed behind Ignis as he told them to look out. The dualhorn was approaching. They had been spotted. The beast began to charge. Four of them moved out of the way as Gladio went straight towards it. With a somewhat slow yet powerful swing, he knocked the thing on its side with his greatsword.

“Woah…”

“Yeah! Show him who’s boss!” “Nice one!”

“It’s not over yet!” Ignis called out ______ 's name. “Find somewhere to hide!”

“R-right!”

She scrambled to a rock nearby that she could peer over.

Noctis warped at full speed, slashing and cutting at the dualhorn. Gladio ran in to join him. Then Ignis reached them as Prompto fired off a round. Whenever the beast would turn to strike at Noct, he warped away and then came back, the warpstrikes doing better damage than they ever had. It didn’t long for the beast to fall.

They wrapped up the fight fairly quickly, Noctis landing the final blow. The hulking creature fell onto its side once more and did not get up. _______ stood from her hiding spot, unsure of what to say. Noctis waited for her to say something.

“That-“ she stuttered, a dorky smile forming on her face, “that was _awesome.”_

“Haha, yeah, we know,” Prompto said proudly. Noctis felt pride well up in his chest. He’d always had fun warping, but showing it off was even better.

“What, don’t have regular beast hurts wherever you’re from?” Gladio asked teasingly.

“Not with something like _that,”_ _______ answered, still impressed. She glanced at Noctis. “And certainly not with crazy… _warping_ abilities.”

“Warping’s actually what it’s called,” he told her.

“Oh. Well, it was still cool. The rest of you can’t do that?”

“Only Noct can since he’s royalty,” Gladio explained. “But we can summon weapons like he can.”

“So it’s a bloodline thing? Is it, like, magic?”

“That is a story to be left for the road,” said Ignis. “I hate to kill the mood, but the car is most likely finished by now.”

They began walking again, all following Noctis. The sweltering heat beat down on them like a hammer. The sun was unforgiving. Noctis _hated_ it. The feeling of overheating cause his skin to crawl. Sweat was rolling down all over him after that fight. Another unpleasant sensation. It was the most uncomfortable feeling he’d ever experienced.

“There’s only so far a man can walk,” Noctis complained up ahead. He could see a small gas station getting nearer now. That was Hammerhead. Almost there.

“Our Crown City upbringing didn’t prepare us for this,” Prompto added.

“Pretend you’re walking to the car,” Ignis said. _______ let out an amused exhale.

“So…” she started. “If Noctis is the prince, then who are you guys?”

“I’m just a commoner,” Prompto said lightly. Ignis explained that they had met in high school. Then Noct backtracked and told her that they had met before that when Lady Lunafreya’s dog was injured and Prompto nursed it back to health. She thought that was sweet.

Next Gladio told her about his job as Noctis’ Shield. That one was pretty straightforward. He was to protect Noctis with his life and he took great pride in it. It had been his family’s duty for generations. He was also the one to teach Noctis how to fight.

Last but certainly not least was Ignis. He was Noctis’ retainer/advisor. He had been tending to the prince since they were little kids and was very much the mom friend of the entire group. He did the cooking, too, and most of the driving. Noctis began to notice that they were a very close knit group. Hopefully ______ wouldn’t end up feeling too left out. But… At the same time, the weird tugging in his chest had him thinking that maybe they’d all be willing to have a fifth member, even if it was only temporary.


	3. In Which I Panic As Someone Panics More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis and co. try to help ______ settle in.

Getting back to Hammerhead was a delight. Finally, no more walking everywhere. No more worrying about whether Dad’s car was beyond repair or not. And, most importantly, Noctis could resume his daily nap as they rode on toward Galdin.

Speaking to Cindy was easy. The car was waiting out front for them, shiny and looking brand new. The four boys went to take a picture with the Regalia. ______ moved out of the way, not sure if she was welcome to their small festivities just yet. It tugged on Noct’s heartstrings for reasons he couldn’t understand. Once Cindy handed the camera back to Prompto, she turned to _______.

“I see ya’ll made a new friend,” she said. “Don’t think I’ve seen ya around here before. Where ya from?”

“Uhh…” ______ blanked, freezing up. Thankfully, the world had gifted us Ignis.

“About that,” he cut in, pushing his glasses up, “we were wondering if you or Cid happened to know of any… urban legends around here regarding strangers from the sky.”

“Hmm, now that’s an odd question…” Cindy thought for a moment. “I don’t remember hearing anything like that recently, but Pawpaw might be able to ya’ll more than me.”

We followed her inside the garage. Pawpaw was Cid and Cid was an old man with a beard and red cap. He had clearly been working in this business for a while. Oil stained his worn jeans and his red uniform jacket had seen better days. He looked to be a grandfather like figure, though a little rough around the edges.

“Hey, Pawpaw, the boys have a little question for ya, if you don’t mind.”

“What is it?” said a raspy voice. He sounded a tad annoyed. “Something’s not wrong with the car, I hope. You didn’t wreck it again, didja?”

“Uh, no,” Noctis answered, a bit put off. “Actually, we were wondering if maybe you could tell us about any kind of story or rumor of people falling from the sky…?”

It really did sound ridiculous now that it was spoken aloud. Cid turned from where he was tinkering with something and locked eyes with… _______.

“Fallin’ from the sky, huh,” he muttered, studying _______' snow anxious figure. “I can think of one legend, not sure how much truth there is to it.”

“Would you mind telling us?” Ignis asked. “We witnessed a, er, odd phenomenon earlier this morning.”

“Mind, it is a thousand years old, but… you didn’t find this girl just anywhere, didja?”

______ shrunk behind Noctis.

_He knows, too?!_

“Well, story goes that one of the Oracles was passin’ through. Stopped at a campsite not too far from here that turned into those blue runes. One day, a man just fell from the sky, like a fallen angel, or something like that. Only he was as human as you and me.”

So this had happened before…?

“I don’t know the details, but that fella and the Oracle got along mighty fine. Traveled with her and saw what the world had to offer. Not much more to it than that. Some people believe they even got married.”

_Great. This rabbit hole just keeps going…_

“But- Did he ever get back?” ______ asked frantically. “To where he came from?”

“Can’t say he did. But that’s the gods for ya. You got a purpose, you serve it. Astrals know I learned that the hard way.”

Noctis heard ______ 's breath hitch. He turned to see her staring into space with wide, _terrified_ eyes. The beginnings of tears emerged in the corners of her eyes.

“_______?” he asked. “You okay?”

She was silent. Prompto tried waving a hand in her face. Ignis tried saying her name again. No response. She was far away, locked in her own thoughts.

“Get the girl some air,” Cid said. “Well? Don’t just stand there!”

Noctis and Ignis were quick to lead her back outside. The sun was exceedingly bright. She covered her eyes with her hand, desperately trying to block out the light. When it didn’t work, her breathing picked up. The air smelled humid and hot. The warmth from the sun was scorching and her face flushed quickly. Worry spread over Noctis like a flash flood.

“You alright?” Prompto asked.

“______?” Noct tried. Nothing. He and Ignis observed her intensely, trying to figure out what was going on.

“She might be panicking,” Ignis assessed. As he spoke, ______ 's realization caused a few tears to fall. Noctis’ chest tightened. He didn’t like seeing someone cry. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do.

“C’mon, snap out of it,” Gladio said urgently.

Slowly, she tuned back into reality. Noctis and Ignis were directly in front of her. They were equally concerned.

“She needs to sit down,” Ignis told Noctis. He nodded. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and directed her toward the diner where she sat down in a secluded corner and out of the sun. She then raised a hand to her face to block her sight. She remained quiet for while.

Noctis didn’t know what to think. This girl had just fallen from the sky. It turned out she was from a whole different _world._ Should he tell someone? Call someone? Cor? Gladio’s father? Dad?

“She gonna be okay?” asked Gladio.

“I’m starting to think maybe I should call my dad,” came Noctis’. “Bet he’d know what to do.”

“I’m not sure it’d be best to call him just yet,” said Ignis. “He’s much too busy with the peace treaty.”

“Then what do we do?” Prompto asked. “We can’t just leave her. Not like this. Not even at Galdin.”

“Then we take her to see Luna,” Noctis decided.

“I was about to suggest the same, Highness,” Ignis agreed.

“If we can’t reach Dad, then that’s the next best thing. Maybe she’ll know more about this than we do.”

“We can only hope.”

Thirty minutes was a long time to wait doing nothing. Ignis told them it was best to let ______ sort her thoughts and emotions out before continuing. No one knew what to make of the situation otherwise. Gladio got impatient ten minutes in. Prompto glanced her way every so often to see how she was doing. Noctis kept checking his phone, even though he knew there weren’t any notifications.

He had never seen someone like this before. Most of his life had been spent within the Citadel’s strong and towering walls. People there were generally sophisticated and well put together. Granted, falling from an extreme height and then being told she had transferred _planets_ would take a toll on anyone. Hopefully her mental state wouldn’t deteriorate any further.

_What am I supposed to do? How do I deal with this? Do I just wait? I wish Dad was here… He’d know what to do…_

Then, ______ began to blink more. She brought her hand away from her face. Prompto was the first to notice. He said her name softly, so as not to startle her. She looked up to see all four of them looking very worried.

“Hey, you okay?” Prompto asked quietly. “You look pretty pale…”

She shook her head. Her skin had lost quite a bit of color. Noctis knew he had to do something to comfort her. Telling her the plan might help ground her.

“We… We thought we’d take you to see Luna, the Oracle,” Noctis explained softly. “The, uh, _current_ Oracle. We were already going there anyway, so don’t think anything of it, okay?”

“What am I supposed to do…?” she whispered. The crack in her voice broke his heart. Her breathing picked up. “I can- I can’t- I c-ca…”

Her breaths gained speed, becoming short and shallow. As soon as she covered her eyes, they realized she was hyperventilating. Noctis’ mind was in a frenzy, trying to decide the best way to get her to calm down. Should he help? Give her space? Tell her everything was going to be okay? His friends jumped into action. He’d follow their lead for once. All of them did their best to give her space but at the same time provide comfort. Gladio rubbed circles on her back like he did for Iris when she was upset. _______ forced herself to take deep breaths. She rested her hands on the table. Her eyes roamed every surface in the diner, like she was counting them. Little by little, she calmed and reached a stable point.

“I can…” she breathed. “I can do this. Just gotta make it… to the Oracle.”

“That’s the spirit,” Ignis encouraged.

“But uh… where do I start?”

“You mean, where do _we_ start?” Prompto corrected, a bit lightly now that she was feeling better.

“We’re going to Altissia, where His Highness’ wedding will be held,” Ignis said. “And since he is marrying the Oracle herself, I see no reason not to take you with us.”

“Same here,” Noctis chimed in. “It’s no trouble at all, okay?”

She nodded.

_Good. Glad she’s got that down._

“You…” She sniffed. “You’re the nicest people I’ve- that I’ve met…”

“Aww, thanks!” Prompto said cheerfully. Noctis felt his ears warm up uncomfortably. “Glad you’re feeling better. We were really worried.”

“Yeah,” Gladio said. “Sure you’re ready to go?”

“We can give you a few more minutes if you like,” Ignis said. She thought it over for a moment before agreeing to a few more minutes.

“So, how we gonna do this?” Gladio voiced what everyone was thinking. After regrouping at the car, Cid had given ______ a book on Eos’ history. She took it gratefully and thanked him with a voice that got less shaky the more she spoke. Now they just had to figure out the seating arrangements.

“The driver’s seat is yours, Noct,” Ignis said. He left it to Ignis. “You’ll be sitting in the back, then?”

“Yeah. You too, Gladio?”

“I need the leg room,” he answered.

“I don’t mind sitting in the back if ______ wants the front,” Prompto piped up.

“No, no, that’s okay!” she said hurriedly. “Won’t it get cramped?”

“Well, yeah, but-”

“Then I’ll sit wherever you need me to.”

_Seriously? This again?_

“You sure?” Noctis asked. She nodded. “Then… I guess we can see how it goes.”

_If she even **looks** uncomfortable, I’m calling her out on that anxiety._

They piled in. ______ was sandwiched between Noctis and Gladio, in that order. Prompto had shotgun. Ignis assured their new friend that they would answer any questions about the book she now had. And man, did she ask and comment a _lot._ It was actually pretty endearing, her wonder and curiosity.

“What do this book mean by magic?”

_Seriously? You haven’t heard of-_

“Wait, you have magic? Like, real magic?”

“And a magic crystal? Really?! That’s so cool!”

_What kind of world is she from?_

“My world just has science and technology. Well, actually, magic could be debated, but the general consensus is that it doesn’t really exist. But you guys grew up with it?”

_How does her world not have magic? That sounds boring._

“How much do you know about Solheim?”

“Where’s Altissia? And Niflheim?”

“Man, your world is small…”

_Hey!_

“So you guys are polytheistic?” she asked.

“Yep,” Noct answered shortly. “You’re not?”

“Depends on the religion. My world’s got plenty. Most of the popular ones are monotheistic, though.”

“So you only worship one god?” Prompto asked, looking back at them. She nodded.

“Some people do. Others worship multiple. Some don’t believe in a god altogether. Religion’s a really touchy subject where I’m from.”

“Huh. Weird,” Noct said.

By the time the boys made a delivery for Cindy, it was late afternoon. Galdin Quay would take another hour or two to reach. The sun would be setting by then, so they decided to stay at a motel to keep from any daemon encounters. When learning about these monsters, _______ did not seem to like them any more than anyone else. She briefly told them of ‘demons’ in her world, that possess people and make them do all manner of horrific things. Noctis decided he preferred his world’s daemons because he could at least recognize one when he saw it.

After securing a room, Ignis and Prompto took _______ to find some clothes for the night. Gladio and Noctis hung around the room, waiting for them to return. It was quiet without Prompto. Almost _too_ quiet. They didn’t let that unnerve them.

Noctis was mindlessly scrolling through articles on his phone when Gladio said, “So, crazy day, huh?”

“Yeah,” Noct agreed shortly.

“What do you think of _______?”

Noctis paused. He set his phone down and thought. “It feels like a dream. Like Ignis and Prompto will come back empty handed.”

“Yeah… You really think we should trust her?”

“I don’t see any reason _not_ to.”

“She could be a spy.”

“A spy for what? Our crazy misadventures?”

“I’m just saying it would be good to be cautious.”

“Gladio, you saw her in the restaurant. She had a _panic attack.”_

“...Yeah, I guess that’s fair… What kind of secret agent would break down that easily?”

“And then there’s the ‘falling from the sky’ thing.” Noct shifted in his seat, leaning back. “That’s what I can’t wrap my head around.”

Gladio stood. “It _was_ pretty shocking. I’m still surprised she’s an alien. That aliens _exist,_ y’know?”

Noctis huffed a laugh. “What, you didn’t believe before?”

“No, and neither did you.” Gladio walked the window.

“Well, I dreamed.”

“Keep dreamin’ then, Highness. Something tells me there’s a lot more to this than we know.”

“...Same here.”

Deep within his dreams, Noctis could voices outside his own. Nonsensical images and outrageous scenarios played out like films in his mind. Between the pictures and the characters his brain created, he could see one similar face: ________ 's. It was an endless chase. He’d run after her, through doors and doors. Each contained something more ridiculous than the last. Bouncing pogo sticks controlled by large rabbits, a carnival filled with people in masks where no one showed their face, a park with rain that went up, and a giant crowd of faceless men. She walked her way easily through each one. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how fast he walked or ran, Noctis could not keep up. Should he give up? Let her go? He didn’t want to, and he didn’t know why.

_“She’s been crying again.”_

His chest tightened.

_No, please. Don’t let her cry, not again. I can’t bear it._

_“It’s hardly her fault.”_

Hope flared up in a explosion in his heart.

_Is that Ignis? Ignis! Where is she? I can’t find _______!_

_“Unfortunately, this is all we can do at the moment.”_

_No. I’ve got to do more. I have to. She needs my help. My sister needs… She needs… My sister…_

_Wait…_

**I don’t have a sister.**

The cozy warmth surrounding Noctis’ body was stripped away quickly.

“What the hell…?” Noctis croaked. Cold washed over him. He shivered and curled up, trying to retain what warmth he could.

“Rise and shine, princess,” said Gladio.

“Time is it…?”

“9:30. Now come on, we got places to be. Don’t wanna leave your bride waiting, do ya?”

_“Definitely_ too early,” ______ muttered from her end of the room. She had insisted on taking the couch that night. Noctis slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes. He watched as Ignis shook her gently. She pulled the blue blanket over her head.

“Come now, even Noct is up,” said Ignis.

“That’s his problem…”

Ignis laughed quietly.

“Hey, if I have to be up, you have to be up,” Noctis protested sleepily.

“Not my fault I’m not a morning person,” she told him. Noctis felt a slight annoyance rise up. If he was up, _she_ had to be up. It wasn’t fair otherwise. His instincts were activated and he stood.

_Weird. I’ve never felt like that before, not so quickly._

“Move over, Specs,” Noctis said, swiftly approaching the couch where a sleepy ______ still lay. “I’ll get her up.”

“Now, Noct, I’m not sure that’s a-” Ignis started. Noctis shoved past him and gripped the blanket. With a sharp tug, the blanket was pulled off of her. She instantly shot up and grabbed at it.

“No-!” ______ cried. “It’s cold!”

“Suffer with me!” Noctis demanded, pulling the blanket.

“Careful, you’ll tear it.” Ignis’ words went ignored.

“I already _am_ suffering!” ______ whined. Noct paused, unsure how to respond.

_Shit, what am I supposed to say to that?_

Just as she gave a final tug, Gladio swooped in and confiscated the blanket.

“That’s enough, you two,” he said. “You’re fighting like siblings.”

_Like what?_

_______ slouched in defeat. Noct pouted a little.

“They’re both picky eaters and like to sleep in,” Ignis observed. “They might as well be.”

_No wonder I had the urge to annoy her._

______ glared at Noctis and he glared back. She reached over to the coffee table and put her glasses back on, not breaking eye contact. He relented and looked away. Prompto came out of the bathroom.

“Everything okay out here?” he asked.

“Serving justice,” Noctis said. ______ kept glaring at him.

“Uh, okay.”

_Siblings, huh? Well, I guess it makes sense after that dream. What a weird dream…_


End file.
